Pro Boat Voracity-E 36-inch Deep-V Brushless Review
If you are looking for true high speed performance right out of the box, the 36″ Deep-V class is a great place to find it. A few months ago Horizon Hobby announced their entry into the class, the Voracity-E RTR, and since then we’ve had plenty of time to put it through the wringer. Is the Voracity-E fast? Can it handle some waves? Can it be driven with reckless abandon without breaking? Read on to find out…
From: Pro Boat
Direct Link: Voracity-E 36
Unboxing Pictures: BSRC Unboxes the Voracity-E 36
Review By: Cubby
Pics By: Tim Mohr
Specs:
RTR or Kit: RTR
Age: 14+
Electric or Gas: Electric
Waterproof: Yes
Length: 36″
Beam: 11″
Weight: 6.10 lbs
Motor: 1650kV brushless, water cooled
Speed Controller: Dynamite 120 amp water cooled
Low Voltage Cut-off: Yes
Radio: Spektrum DX2E
Stability Control: No
Sound Module: No
Self Righting: No
Screws: Stainless hex
Prop: 1.4 × 2.478″
Battery: Not included
Part Number: #PRB08018
Warranty: “free from defects in materials and workmanship at the date of purchase”
Bashing Specs:
Top Speed (measured by BSRC): 49 mph on 6S
Runtime (measured by BSRC): 5.5 minutes on 6S
Street Price: $529
Primary Competition: Traxxas Spartan
What’s Needed To Complete: You’ll need 4 AA batteries for the transmitter, 4 to 6S worth of LiPo batteries, and a battery charger.
Build Quality: No problems at all, everything was well put together from the factory.
Test Drivers: T-$$$ and yours truly.
Test Venues: For the first time in a very, veryyyy long time, we did not test a vehicle at our local CostCo parking lot. In fact, we’ve been using it at just one location, the pond in the Arnold Missouri City Park.
Set-up Notes: Stock, stock and more stock. For batteries we used both a 4S and a 6S set-up of Horizon’s new Kinexsis LiPo batteries and a Hitec X1 Pro to charge them.
How It Drives: We were very impressed with the handling on the Voracity. Rough water handling was excellent. We drove it in waves up to 4″ tall and the Voracity just cut right through and continued hauling the mail. We also found the the Voracity to be a shark in the corners. While it turned more sharply to the right than the left (because of its right of center mounted rudder), it rarely rolled and generally was able to cut a sharp line, even at break neck speeds. From our expert boat driver (read- me) to our noob (read- Tim), neither of us had any qualms with the way the Voracity handled.
Power: Ok, so do you know how a 10th scale buggy feels twice as fast on 3S as it does on just 2? Or how an 8th scale buggy feels twice as fast on 6 as it does on 4? That’s exactly how it worked on the Voracity. On 4S the Voracity had decent speed. It pulled away from a dead stop well and had enough top speed to be fun. However, things changed on 6S, it turned into a complete animal. On 6S the Voracity ripped away from a dead stop and pulled like a pitbull on crack up to its top speed. And… it had a lot of top speed, eating up the small pond/lake we were driving on in a big hurry. To boil it down, if you are looking for “Oh SH!T” power, the Voracity has it on 6S.
Radio: The boat came with the standard Horizon RTR radio, a Spektrum DX2E. At first we were quite tentative with testing its range, but it finally tested out at a 450 feet radius, more than enough for the driving we were doing.
Broken Parts: We didn’t actually “break” anything on the Voracity, even after driving it like we stole it on 6S. However, we did run into one issue- after a half dozen runs the stock servo developed a case of the “jitters”. We ended up replacing it with a blue case (waterproof) Hitec unit.
Misc Notes:
The power wires are quite short on the ESC. This is done for a reason, boats pull a lot of juice, so the shorter the better as far as power goes, but they are so short that they would be a pain to switch out connectors on.
The wire running from the servo to the receiver in our test unit was not well secured, allowing it to actually touch the motor coupling.
The water cooling system in the Voracity worked extremely well. It kept both the motor and speedo very cool even during our hardest runs on 6S in intense Midwestern heat.
Speaking of cooling, the motor comes with an aluminum cooling jacket, very nice.
A transom splash guard would have been nice but was not included. It would keep water from splashing over the back of the boat when backing off the gas and when going in reverse.
Speaking of reverse, the Voracity has it. We didn’t use it much, but when we did it ended up getting water inside the boat and didn’t have much steering.
The included boat stand worked nicely.
The Voracity is a BIG boat, the pictures don’t do justice on just how big it is.
The Voracity is slightly over propped on 6S. We say this because the boat was still pulling hard at 200 feet and had still not reached top speed. A prop with slightly less pitch would also help keep battery temps down. On 4S the included prop worked well.
The Voracity is very adjustable. You can adjust the trim tabs, the turn fins, and the prop height, making it easy to get dialed in.
Our “pro driver guy” Tim Mohr is pretty much a noob at boats. Sure, he has driven most of the boats that we’ve reviewed, but he drove them very little and never drives them on his own. The Voracity-E proved a real eye opener for Tim. While he swore a boat could never be as fun as a 6S 8th scale truggy, he just couldn’t get enough of driving the Voracity-E. To Tim the Voracity was very much like driving an insanely overpowered truggy, but on the water, and that got him hooked.
A metal prop comes standard, nice touch.
We were big fans of the fiberglass hull. It felt strong and of good quality.
Many boats come with a “self righting” feature now days, but the Voracity does not. However, we never noticed it. Every time we rolled the Voracity it ended up prop down and we drove away.
Best Mod: Make sure and pick up some flexible marine tape to help keep water out of the boat (part #DYNM0102, $5).
Summary:
A = Outstanding/Best in Class, B = Above Average, C = Average, D = Below Average, F = Horrific
Time To Bash: B Just charge up some batteries and get ready for the ride of your life.
Workability: C The Voracity doesn’t use a system where you can remove the entire power system in one piece, you have to remove all the pieces separately.
Car Show Rating: A Both of our testers really liked how the boat looked, but even more importantly, people walking by when we were driving also commented on how cool it was.
Bash-A-Bility: B We were downright mean to the Voracity and did not manage to break it.
Fun Factor: A Ohhhhhh the HUGE smile all the Voracity’s sweet power can put on your face, it just plain rips and we found that a ton of fun.
Handling: A Ok, so the Voracity is stupid fast, but its chassis can also handle it. It turns well and handles normal chop without an issue. It is the best handling boat in its class.
Value: A There are a few reasons it gets an “A” in this category. It has a fiberglass hull, it has a metal prop, and it is more adjustable than other boats in its class. It might cost a bit more, but to bring other boats up to its level of performance will cost a whole lot more money.
Parts Availability: C The Voracity is a new model, some parts are still being shown as being available for pre-order (like a rudder and prop), while others are in stock and shipping from Horizon (like trim tabs and turn fins).
BigSquid Rating: B If you are looking for serious fun on the water we can highly recommend the Voracity-E 36 to you. It has absolutely insane power, it can take a beating, and it has best in class handling. Even if you are a “surface” guy (read – car guy), you can have loads of fun with the Voracity-E.
